Can someone give me some pointers on VSV dosing?

[Bustyraker]

I've been battling high nitrates for months now. I have a 105 gallon display and I have been doing a 30 gallon waterchange every week for about 2 months. Sometimes twice a week. I've also been running zeovit for a little over 4 months. When I first realized my stn was from nitrate I threw out my old test kit and got a Salifert kit. It tested around 60+ ppm! I've been stuck around 25ppm for about a month now and can't seem to get it any lower. I skim heavily, I've cut feeding way down. And I follow the zeovit dosing very closely. So By the advise of a fellow zeo user with nitrate issues I have decided to start dosing VSV. Just looking for some pointers, I have vodka dosed in the past, is it basically the same? Just need to knock out these nitrates as I am losing a lot of SPS weekly.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

25 ppm is not a big deal, but organic carbon dosing is a fine way to reduce it. Just be sure to not overshoot and go too low.

All organic carbon dosing (except pellets) is about the same.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

These have more:

Here's one on vinegar:

http://reefkeeping.com/joomla/index...ar-dosing-methodology-for-the-marine-aquarium

and one on vodka:

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2008-08/nftt/

The only issue I have with them is the scaling/dosing per tank size and the slow ramp up in dose.

 

[jason2459]

Personally, I'd skip the S part and just go with V or V or VV... sugar seems to have reports of more negative effects then dosing vinegar, vodka, or both with out the sugar. What ever you do don't try and compare it to nopox... (last part is sort of a joke)

 

[Janci]

Personally, I'd skip the S part and just go with V or V or VV... sugar seems to have reports of more negative effects then dosing vinegar, vodka, or both with out the sugar. What ever you do don't try and compare it to nopox... (last part is sort of a joke)

Jason, out of interest: "do don't try and compare it to nopox... (last part is sort of a joke)"
What do you mean with that?
I understood Nopox is some kind of VV mix itself.

 

[jason2459]

Jason, out of interest: "do don't try and compare it to nopox... (last part is sort of a joke)"
What do you mean with that?
I understood Nopox is some kind of VV mix itself.

It was in jest as there was a certain individual who gets argumentative if you try and compare mixing vodka and vinegar as being similar to using nopox. Even though the major ingredients in nopox are ethanol (vodka) and acetic acid (vinegar) and provides similar results.

Proposed Nopox's ratio for 1L is 590ml Vinegar to 410ml Vodka

I personally like a ratio weighed more to Vinegar and use a mix similar to another poster

TMZ's ratio for 1L is 690ml Vinegar to 310ml Vodka

post#233
http://web1.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2408985&page=10

 

[Janci]

It was in jest as there was a certain individual who gets argumentative if you try and compare mixing vodka and vinegar as being similar to using nopox. Even though the major ingredients in nopox are ethanol (vodka) and acetic acid (vinegar) and provides similar results.

Proposed Nopox's ratio for 1L is 590ml Vinegar to 410ml Vodka

I personally like a ratio weighed more to Vinegar and use a mix similar to another poster

TMZ's ratio for 1L is 690ml Vinegar to 310ml Vodka

post#233
http://web1.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2408985&page=10

 

[Janci]

Found that famous thread.

 

[Phillip Owens]

This add was better than 6 months old when I posted this. But if it helps anybody I mix 100ml white vinegar and 3 Tbsp. white sugar heat this in the microwave for 15-20 seconds the sugar dissolves better when warm. Using this mixture I dose 15ml daily in my 90 gallon reef and my nitrates and phosphates stay at zero. Plus I also do 20% water changes approximately every 10 days. I hope this helps someone.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

This add was better than 6 months old when I posted this. But if it helps anybody I mix 100ml white vinegar and 3 Tbsp. white sugar heat this in the microwave for 15-20 seconds the sugar dissolves better when warm. Using this mixture I dose 15ml daily in my 90 gallon reef and my nitrates and phosphates stay at zero. Plus I also do 20% water changes approximately every 10 days. I hope this helps someone.

Welcome to Reef2Reef!

Why did you elect to use sugar?

 

[Jon Jaroska]

Hello. I am interested in dosing carbon. I am looking for the most cost effective method. I have determined that sugar is the cheapest. Right now I dose 1tsp/day into my 240 gallon reef. Seems to be working well. However, I would like to dissolve that sugar into rodi water and have a dosing pump dose it. Randy, how would I go about calculating a dosage using that method?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Hello. I am interested in dosing carbon. I am looking for the most cost effective method. I have determined that sugar is the cheapest. Right now I dose 1tsp/day into my 240 gallon reef. Seems to be working well. However, I would like to dissolve that sugar into rodi water and have a dosing pump dose it. Randy, how would I go about calculating a dosage using that method?

FWIW, I do not recommend sugar. IMO, vinegar is a better choice and the cost is not that much unless you have a very large tank.